Drake, Goyette named to 2017 Hockey Hall of Fame class

Former Alberta men's hockey head coach Clare Drake (left) and current Calgary women's hockey head coach Danielle Goyette (right) have been named to the 2017 HHOF class.

Jun 26, 2017

Evan Daum, Canada West Communications

Highlights:

Former University of Alberta men's hockey head coach Clare Drake and current University of Calgary Dinos women's hockey head coach Danielle Goyette have been named to the Hockey Hall of Fame's 2017 induction class

Drake enters the Hall as a builder after spending 28 seasons at Alberta, winning six national titles and 17 Canada West banners

Goyette enters the Hall as a player, following 16 seasons on the women's national team, where she earned two Olympic gold medals and eight world championship titles

The pair will be formally inducted Monday, November 13 at a ceremony in Toronto, Ont.

EDMONTON – Monday was a day to remember for Canada West hockey, as former University of Alberta Golden Bears men’s hockey head coach Clare Drake (builder) and current University of Calgary Dinos women’s head coach Danielle Goyette (player) were announced as 2017 inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Widely regarded as one of the most innovative hockey minds of the 20th century, Drake coached the Bears for 28 seasons, beginning his tenure with the program in 1958. A native of Yorkton, Sask., Drake led the Golden Bears to six national championships, and 17 Canada West championships before retiring from Alberta in 1989.

Prior to coaching the Bears, Drake spent four years at the University of British Columbia as a student-athlete, where he played on the Thunderbirds hockey team from 1947-1951 while studying kinesiology.

Drake finished his university coaching career with an overall record of 697-296-37, while also taking stints to coach at both the professional and international levels. He spent two seasons coaching the World Hockey Association’s Edmonton Oilers (1975-1976), co-coached the 1980 Canadian Men’s Olympic Team, and also guided Canada to their first-ever Spengler Cup Gold Medal in 1984.

While Drake’s resume is remarkable, it’s perhaps his accomplishments that don’t show up on paper that have truly come to define the coaching legend – most notably his technical innovations and the legacy of coaches he has helped produce.

Many of the systems and terms Drake first used at Alberta have become foundations of the modern game, including his special teams innovations.

In terms of coaches, there have been no shortage of bench bosses who are part of the Drake coaching tree, including current NHL coaches Barry Trotz of Washington – who coached against Drake while at the University of Manitoba – and Dallas Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock, who used to frequent Bears practices when he was coaching Sherwood Park’s Midget AAA squad to watch Drake work his magic.

While Drake enters the HHOF as a builder, Goyette will join hockey’s greats as a player after her remarkable career on Canada’s women’s national team, becoming just the fifth female inductee into the Hall.

Goyette helped lead Canada's national women's team to two Olympic (2002, 2006) and eight world championship gold medals (1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007) over the course of her 16-year stint on the team.

The St-Nazaire, Que. native represented Canada at international competitions more than any other hockey player in history – male or female – over that period and has more than 100 goals to her credit in international play.

Her hockey accomplishments go beyond medals and stats, including the honour of carrying the Canadian flag into the opening ceremonies at the 2006 Torino Olympic Games.

Since 2007, Goyette has been head coach of the Dinos women’s team, and led the program’s transition from the Alberta Colleges Athletic Association (ACAC) level back to CW in 2009.

Goyette has guided Calgary to a combined 96 regular season wins over the last seven seasons, including a 20-win season in 2011-12, which culminated in the Dinos claiming the national championship.